Propulsion of vessels



N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON D C omrEn -sfraTEs rar-EEToEEroE.

HENRY H. oLDs,.or` NEW-HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

PROPULSION OF VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, HENRY H. OLDs, of NewHaven, New Haven county, State of Connecticut, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Propellers; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof.

The nature of my improvement consists in providing the sides of thevessels with suitable frames through .which two or more pushingpropellers operate, -with` reciprocating motion, the propellers beingmade to act on the water at an angle of about forty-five degrees, and tomove the vessel by the contact of the botto-ms of the propellers withthe water; also in providing the propeller machinery with a hinged waterfloat, so arranged that by bringing it down into contact with the water,the operations of the propeller may be instantly reversed, withoutaltering the motion of the engine.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement Iwill proceed to describe its construction and o-peration, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, forming a part of this speciiication,in which- Figure 1, is a side elevation of my improvement, thepropellers in position to cause the vessel to advance. Fig. 2, sideelevation of same the propellers backing. Fig. 3, side elevation of thepropelling machineryin position for vertical movement of the propellers.Fig. 4, vertical end sectional elevation of my improvement. Fig. 5,vertical view of one of the propellers, and its top fixtures. Fig. 6,horizontal section of one of the propellers detached.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

A, the vessel; B B, the propeller; C, guiding and supporting frame; D,cross head guides; E, E, extension bars of the propellers; F, F,connecting rods; G, G, cross heads; H, H, shifting bars; I, shifting barcatch; K, shifting float; J, hinge of same; L L, rock bar leverconnecting rods; M, rocking bar; N, shaft of the same; O, rocking lever;P, engine connecting rod; a a, notches for catch I in the frame C; b,pivots which unite connecting rods F with propeller head plates f; c,bearings of bars E; cl, pins uniting rods F, and L, to cross heads G; g,pivots which unite extension bars E, and shifting bars H; e slots in theextension bars E.

-red lines Fig. 1.

Reciprocating motion is communicated by 12,067, dated December 12, 1854.

means of the rodI, to the rocking. lever Ov, which operates the Lrockingshaft N, and rocking bar M. Suitable `connecting rods, L, unite thecross heads G, with the yendsof bar M, whereby the former receivevertical movement between their guides D, D.

A horizontal sect-ion of the propellers B (see Fig. 6) shows anovalform. y They are hollow in their` interior, `and furnished at theirtops with headplates f, f. These are connected with thecross heads G, bymeans of connecting rods F. F. The extension guide bars E, E, projectbelow their bearings at c, into the interior of the propellers B, wherethey form `guides-upon which the propellers slide up and down. The lowerparts of guide bars E, E, are in U forml as shown. The propellersreceive their up and down movement from the cross heads G to which theyare connected by rods F, in the manner before described. The upper endsofthe extension guide bars E, E, are slot-ted (e) and through theseslots the pins g, which unite them with the shifting bars H, H, p-ass.The latter slide laterally upon the frame C, being fixed at a givenpoint thereonby catch I, which enters notches a a. In ordemtherefore tochange the angle at which the propellers B, B, operate, it is onlynecesary to move the shifting bars H, H.

Vhen the vessel is in motion, advancing in direction of arrow 1, Fig. 1,and it becomes necessary to back the vessel, the catch I is raised andthe shifting float K, which is-attached to the shifting bars H, by meansof hinge J, is thrown down, so that its lower end rests in the `water asindicated by the The force of the water against the fioat, carries it,and with it the shifting bars H, H, to the other end of frame C, whenythe catch I, fastens in notch a', and retains the shifting bars (asshown in Fig. 2) at that end of frame C. This movement of the shiftingbars I-I, H, reverses the posit-ion of the propellers B, B, without anychange in the mot-ions o-f the engine, and causes the vessel to movebackward in direction of arrow 2.

In the practical application of this improvement I propose, if needed,yto have suitable levers 4so connected with `-the shifting bars that theposition ofthe propellers B, can be instantly changed independently ofthe shifting floats K.

It will be observed that by my method of shifting` the position of thepropellers, Without stopping, reversing, or touching the en-V gine,offers many advantages. in the navigation of the vessel. It especiallyenables me to turn the vessel rapidly and in a. short circle, for it Ihave only to reverse the position of the propellers on one side of thevessel, to have two of them push forward,

each other gives them a remarkable ease of opera-tion. I estimatea cleargain of at least ninety per cent. in the use of these propellers, overany other successful means of propulsion With which I am acquainted.

Having thus described my invention, I claim,

l. The combination of the extension guide bars E, E, with the frame C,propellers B, B, shifting bars I-I, H, and cross heads Gr, G, in themanner and for the purposes as herein set forth.

2. The combination of the shifting bars H, H, catch I, and shiftingfloat K, With the frame C, in the manner and for the purposessubstantially as herein set forth.

HENRY I-I. OLDS.

Witnesses:

Trios. BENNETT, A. B. JACOCKS.

